SOUND, binding posts, sensitivity

NONE

For the size of these speakers the sound is awesome! I agree with the first reviewer the bass is incredible for the size, I also thought there was a sub on when I first heard them. Listened to both paradigm atoms and boston acoustics cr6, the alpha mini sounded fuller and richer than the cr6, and had a more pleasant sound than the atoms, and each speaker is about the same size.Nothing against paradigm or boston acoustics, I own Boston's VR965, great speaker!There is a great review on the alpha mini at etown.com by Mark Fleischmann. This review can be easily found at ecoustics.com under: reviews: bookshelf speakers. This speaker now has 5 way binding posts. Anyone looking to spend under $200.00 on speakers I know you won't find a better sounding speaker. My minisystem: Onkyo TX-8211 rec. Sony CDP-XE500 cd player PSB Alpha Mini

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm atom, Boston Acoustics CR6

sound and price

non removable grill

Great speaker, I have paired with alpha sub 5 and alpha center, the system rocks! I really liked my signets they are great speakers however could not get a matching center to go with them. Decided to go with the PSB's alpha minis and center. Man, am I glad I did! The highs on these psb's are great and really clear. Bass on the minis are ok not as good as the signets but coupled with the alpha sub 5 and you are rocking! I have listened to movies, dvd concerts and music and this system shows no weaknesses!

Similar Products Used:

bose 301, Signet 260

Amazing price/performance much more bass than I thought it would have and surprisingly loud and clear.

none so far

I bought these speakers based on reviews w/out ever hearing them first. I was pretty much blown away by them immediately. I'd listened to some $300 Monitor brand speakers that we soft and nice but much more weak sounding. I have the PSB's set up w/ an Onkyo tx-8211 and an Apex 600a dvd player playing my cd's and movies. Movies are a thrill with clear dialogue and I'm hearing sounds I've never heard before like water running in the background of a scene. I invested $80 in some good monster cables and I could notice the difference w/ much more bass coming through. The mids are in your face, the highs real clean and clear and the bass w/ the port hole in the back of the speaker comes out full and loud w/ out airing out. Yea, you could have some more bass and subsonics w/ a good subwoofer but I really don't think I need one yet. I can't say enough good things about the PSB alpha mini's. I'm wondering if you can do that mod/tweak that was outlined in the review section of the PSB Alpha A/V's because you can unscrew the back of the speakers and probably seal them better though straight out of the box their wonderful. For the budget you can't do better!

Similar Products Used:

I've only used a lame aiwa mini system and some JBL 2000?? model speakers before.

sound staging, price/performance, size, binding posts,fullness/size ratio

I tad muddy, plastic construction, non-removable grill(am I too picky?), not bi-wirable(not sure if this is really a weakness)

This is more of a story than a review really. I have had a pair of B&W 602's for almost a year now. Well in August I baught the Alpha Mini's for use with my computer(they cost me a $133 US). Well the first thing I did when I took the PSB's out of the box was to hook them up to my main system just for kicks. Well needless to say I was very impressed. They produced a very full and seemingly acurate sound for such an inexpensive unit and small cabinet!
Well for about 5 month's I used the alpha's with my computer(hooked up to a sony bookshelf stereo<-{Gross!}). A few days ago I decided to throw the PSB's back on my speaker stands on my main system (the stands, mind you, costs only 30 dollars less than the Alpha's Themselves!). Well, needless to say, I have decided to sell my 602's. I can not possible justify a $477 price difference between the 602's and the Alpha Mini's. I am not knocking the B&W's - they are probably the best you can buy in that price range(~$600 US), but these Alpha's are that good.
Another part of my decision is based on the absolute terrible quality of the B&W CC6 center channel speaker(<-Avoid this thing like the plague!). The Alpha Mini's coupled with the Alpha Subsonic 5 and the Alpha center channel all together are just a little more than the price of the 602's.
Now, onto the review part already. These speakers are very full sounding. The low end is a bit lacking for a full size HT or 2 Channel system so you are def. going to want to get a sub(but not necessarily right away). These speakers are exceptionally clear for middle to high frequency.

I do not think there is a better value out there for your money in speakers.

On a scale of 1-5 on value these things deserve a 6+.

Similar Products Used:

Polk, B&W 601, B&W 602, Infinity, I could go on but don't care too you get the idea - BOOK SHELF SPEAKERS

Great Price and value for the money!

none

I bought these Alphas as part of the NAD L40 Music System. Just incredible sound, great bass, clear separation, nice highs... just a great value for the money... They do a nice job of filling up my large listening room! Most people are amazed that such big sound come out of these bookshelf speakers! Kudos to PSB!

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Atoms

PRICE!

These speakers are laughably cheap for the sound they give. Less than $200 CDN per pair! When I first listened to them in the shop, I had to look at the back of the receiver to be sure that there wasn't also a subwoofer attached, hidden somewhere in the room. A staggering amount of bass for speakers this size.

Perfect size and price for a home theatre set-up. Use them as both mains and rear surrounds...

For my money they as good as if not better than the Polk Audio speakers my buddy has, and for a fraction of the price.

Buy some now! :-)

Similar Products Used:

Polk

big bang for your buck; a really full sound out of a compact speaker

at high volumes, they can bounce around

nuances are better, but over twice the price

I would recommend these as a bookshelf speaker for a small system or they also make an excellent satelite for larger systems

Similar Products Used:

nuance pro satelites